Holding On To You
by eseiprahs
Summary: The Sterns and the DellaRobia's are extremely close, almost like two families put into one. They try their hardest to not let the disease plaguing their family affect their life too much. When Odd's cancer gets worse though, Ulrich has to make a tough decision. Based on My Sisters Keeper.
1. We All Love Eachother

**Quote: **

**I am STRONG because I am weak. I am BEAUTIFUL because I know my flaws. I am a LOVER because I'm a fighter. I am FEARLESS because I've been afraid. I am WISE because I have been foolish...and I can LAUGH because I've known sadness.**

**This fic I'm typing is to show how much we should all appreciate the good in life and our family and friends. And how some people don't have it as easy as others.**

**On with the new fic... **

* * *

**We Do The Best We Can**

**Chapter 1**

Ulrich's P.O.V.

A warm, spring day. The sun shining down on the back patio of his best friend's house. The soft, cooling wind barely blowing once in a while. Looking up at the sky, Ulrich saw white, puffy clouds passing by lazily along the bright blue sky.

'_When I was little, my mom told me that I was a little piece of blue sky that came into this world because her and dad loved me so much.'_

'_They tell me all about how they were happy about their perfect family. The family of just them, me, and my older sister, Abelle.'_

'_Sure, you hear all these different stories of how people plan out their perfect families. But the truth is, not all families that are planned out end up perfect. Sometimes they don't end up the way you planned it at all.'_

'_And I know of a family like this.'_

'_I don't know…sometimes, I wonder about what would have happened if Odd had been healthy.'_

A boy, once blonde, but now no hair on his body, emerged to the outside again onto the back deck of his house. Ulrich, sitting back in a lawn chair, was looking at a book as his best friend sat down in the chair beside him, holding two apples. He threw one at his brunette friend, who caught it.

He sat with the sun shining on his bare, hairless flesh. His khaki shorts long, covering half his knees. His purple bandanna that was tied on his head, hid the baldness underneath.

'_That's my best friend, Odd. He has leukemia.'_

"Montana? Why Montana?" I asked, looking at the illustration of one of Montana's lakes in the book. "It just looks like a whole bunch of…nothing."

"It is a whole bunch of nothing." Odd said, taking a bite of his apple.

"Why do you like it so much then?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I don't know." He answered, shrugging. "I like big things and wide open spaces." He said smiling and looking out at his big, flowering backyard. The afternoon sun shining bright on his face.

They had been talking about where some of their favorite places to be was. Odd had answered, Montana. Ulrich, being confused by this, he went to get Ulrich a book, illustrating the beauties of the place. Odd loved Montana since he'd gone on a few trips down there with his family.

* * *

Walking inside through the screen door that evening, we could smell the food cooking as two women were preparing dinner. One with long, purple hair who was chopping potatoes. The other with long brunette hair, which was stirring a boiling something on the stove.

'_That's my mom and Mrs. Dellarobia making dinner. If you haven't been able to tell yet, our families are close friends. We're almost like one big family made out of two families. We love each other, and we do the best we can.'_

Normal P.O.V.

"Pass the potatoes?" Cicilia, Odd's eighteen year old sister, asked.

They all sat at the table late in the evening, the sky outside growing gradually darker to a warm, spring night.

"Oh! That reminds me…" Odd said. "You guys want to see me and Cicilia's routine?"

"Potatoes remind you of routines?" Ulrich asked.

Odd stuck out his tongue at his friend and Mrs. Dellarobia rolled her eyes at him. "What routine?" she asked.

"Let's do it, Cicilia." He said excitedly.

"Hey hot stuff, what's your sign?" she asked, starting it out.

"Cancer." He answered.

"You're a cancer?" she asked.

"No, I'm a Leo. But I have cancer." Odd answered simply, ending the routine.

"That's not even funny…" Mr. Dellarobia said, taking a drink of his beverage.

"Yes it is!" they defended themselves at the same time.

"It's clever, gotta admit." Mrs. Dellarobia said.

"Ha!" Odd gave a triumphant laugh at his dad. "So boo on you!" he pointed at him.

And then, the rest of the table joined in the booing of Mr. Dellarobia, who held up his hands surrendering. "Alright! Alright! Play nice!" he said.

They all then dug back into their food, and they went into their separate conversations with each other. Everyone was having a good time, just like they always did whenever they had these dinners together. But something caught Mrs. Dellarobia's eye beside her.

She was eyeing her son as he picked at his food, not eating it.

"Eat, Odd." She told him, gesturing to his plate with her fork.

"I'm eating." He replied.

"Is it not good?" she asked as the rest of the table then began to notice her concern.

"It's really good mom." He smiled, reassuring her as he took a bite.

"Okay, just making sure." She said.

"This is very good. Nice job ladies." Mr. Dellarobia said.

"And there's leftovers in the fridge." Mrs. Stern said.

"Alright! More for me!" Mr. Stern said then, happily.

With everyone then starting to get back into a conversation again, someone was not. Odd's mom was eyeing him again as she chewed her own food. Odd still wasen't eating, just picking at his food, taking a bite once in a while.

"Not hungry huh?" she asked him again.

"Maybe he just needs to breath a little bit." Mr. Dellarobia said then.

She shot a look at him, narrowing her eyes. "Maybe you should breathe a little bit."

"Maybe I will." He replied.

Of course they were just joking around with this argueing. Sure, being the mother of a sick child, she had every right to worry for him. But sometimes, Odd's dad thought that his wife worried too much about their son sometimes.

Odd pushed back his chair and stood up. As he walked out of the room, his mom called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom, wanna come?" he replied in a smart-alic tone as they heard a door shut in the other room.

Mrs. Dellarobia rolled her eyes and looked at her husband, who shrugged and raised his eyebrows. Almost as if in a way saying, 'I told you so.'

* * *

Mr. Dellarobia P.O.V.

Odd, Amelie, his twelve year old sister, and Camille, his fifteen year old sister, sat playing cards at the kitchen table as Mrs. Dellarobia washed the dishes.

The Stern's had left about half an hour ago, now being eight oclock at night. Cicilia watching television with her father in the living room. But Mr. Dellarobia wasen't paying any attention to the television at this point. He was staring into the kitchen from their leather couch, he was staring at his other three children.

Watching them having fun with their card game as they laughed at something unknown to Mr. Dellarobia. Watching their smiles and laughter was like a gift that he never got tired of receiving.

'_Sure, we still enjoy the daily happinesses of family life. Big house, great kids, wonderful and beautiful wife. But beneath, there are cracks that threaten the foundation of our lives.'_

As he watched the three kids some more, he saw that Amelie won the game. She celebrated as Odd put his face in his hand, and Camille covered her ears to block Amelie's gloating. But again, they were all smiling.

'_With a situation like ours, having a sick child, you really begin to appreciate all of these good moments more.'_

_'Because at any moment, our world could come tumbling down.'_

* * *

**If any of ya'll have seen the movie, My Sister's Keeper. Then you obviously recognize some of the lines in here. But this isn't going to be a complete copy of the movie or book or anything. I just get lines and ideas and scenes from it. I imagine the Dellarobia's house looking like the one in the movie, maybe a little different. You can invision it in anyway you want though. [ :**

**I don't own My Sister's Keeper, the book or movie. I own neither! And I don't own Code Lyoko.**


	2. Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries

**The song I use in this chapter is _Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries _by E.G. Daily.**

**Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to see beyond the imperfections. -Unknown**

**Life is a one way street, no matter how many detours you take, none of them leads back. So enjoy life, every moment as none of them will happen the same way again. -Unknown**

* * *

**Holding On To You**

**Chapter 2**

It was a wednesday, the student at Kadic were enjoying their break between classes. Ulrich, Aelita, Jeremy, Yumi, and Odd were all outside at their usual bench.

"I deffinetly bombed that history test guys." Ulrich said glumly, his chin resting on his hands.

"Did you study?" Jeremy asked.

"Well..." he started, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Odd laughed out loud as his face faced upward at the sky, letting the sun shine on his smooth skin. "That's a no."

Ulrich shot him a glare. "Oh, shut up."

"Did _you_ study mister smarty pants?" Aelita asked, hands on her hips, smiling.

"Hmm..." Odd started. "Nope."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Okay, you guys complain when you fail a test. Because you don't study!"

"I forgot we had a test!" Odd argued, bringing his face away from the sun to face Jeremy.

"Shocker." They all said at the same time.

Odd narrowed his eyes at them and crossed his arms over his chest. "Bad memory. Not my fault."

"It's called an agenda, Odd. Use it." Yumi said, smiling.

"He does, he just forgets to look at it." Ulrich stated.

"Ulrich...I think I might just hurt you." Odd said, pointing a warning finger at his best friend.

Just then, arms wrapped around Odd's neck from behind him. The owner of the arms was William Dunbar, another friend of theirs. He leaned down on Odd as he gave him a noogie on his head. "Whazzupp Oddie my brotha?" he said playfully.

Odd fixed his crooked purple bandana once William got off of him. "Oh nothing. Just taking abuse from my so called friends."

William gave a snort of laughter. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. What are they picking on you for today?"

"Oh no! Don't take all the pity on him for the picking on, he was picking on me first!" Ulrich said.

Odd just grinned at his best friend and shrugged innocently.

"Well, I say it's time for us to get to class so we're not late." Yumi said as she stood up from her spot on the ground.

They all stood up together as well and started walking into the school. Yumi and William talking and laughing about something unknown to the others. Ulrich watched them with eyes Odd knew so well. An expression he'd seen before whenever he saw Yumi with William.

"Hey..." he said as he put his arm around the brunette's shoulders. "You know she's crazy about you."

Ulrich gave him a smile back, but at some times, he wasen't so sure if she really was.

* * *

**Odd's POV**

_'It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time before all this happened, when I was a normal teenage boy. I just had normal teenage problems. Back when all I had to worry about was getting a good grade on a test, or winning a basketball game.'_

_'Times have really changed since then...'_

**Normal POV**

Gazing out the window, Odd sat staring, deep in thought while Mrs. Hertz continued teaching her lesson.

But the bell ringing interrupted both her and Odd as the students started departing the class.

"Come on, time to get outta here!" Ulrich said joyfully as he beckoned his friend out of his seat.

Once outside, they were all walking in town, having decided to go out for some ice cream to relieve themselves from the heat of the afternoon. And there they all sat, sitting outside at a table with many chairs pulled up to one small table. And they all sat around it, laughing together, enjoying the day.

_**Life is just a bowl of cherries**_

_**Don't make it serious**_

_**Life's too mysterious**_

_**You work, you save, you worry so**_

_**But you can't take it**_

_**When you go, go, go**_

"What's this in my ice cream?" Odd said, pointing at something on his cone.

"What?" Ulrich asked, looking at it.

"There."

"Where?"

"There!" Odd said, pointing at it harder.

"I don't see any-" but he was interrupted as Odd shoved the ice cream in his face. Making it smear all over his nose and fall back onto the table.

Everyone laughed and Ulrich narrowed his eyes at his friend beside him, who merely shrugged. "Payback for picking on me today good buddy."

Ulrich then smiled and put his hand in his cup of drink and took out an ice cube and slipped it down the back of Odd's shirt. He immediately hopped up and jumped around trying to get it out. "That's cold!" he cried as he tried getting it out of his shirt unsuccesfully.

They all continued laughing as they watched him hop around like a madman.

Once it finally fell out, he sat back down, relieved. "Thank you Ulrich." he said sarcastically.

"Group picture!" Aelita then announced to the group.

Yumi groaned. "My hair is a mess though." she complained.

"So is mine!" Odd said.

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up, Odd."

They all then crowded around as the camera was set on timer and started beeping off the clock. And then snapped the picture.

**_Life is just a bowl of cherries_**

* * *

Ulrich had just gotten home with Yumi, it was late in the evening. Almost nighttime in fact. The stars had come out and the moon had risen. The two sat on Ulrich's couch watching television when Ulrich heard his phone ring. He took it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ulrich? It's Mr. Dellarobia..." she said urgently from the other end.

In the next moment, Ulrich and Yumi were rushing up the front steps of the Dellarobia's house. They pulled the door open and ran inside only to be stopped by Mr. Dellarobia.

"What's going on?" Ulrich demanded as Mr. Dellarobia held onto his shoulders.

"Mrs. Dellarobia heard Odd coughing, she tried getting in but couldn't so she...she kicked the door down."

"She kicked the door down?" Yumi asked incredulously.

"That's why I called, to have you come to see if he'd let you in but-"

They were then interrupted by EMT's coming through the front door with a stretcher and ran up the stairs. Ulrich and Yumi looked at each other, shocked, and Ulrich ran upstairs after them.

As soon as he got up there, he could see Amelie crying as she sat on her bed. Camille and Cicilia were trying to comfort her.

ulrich then turned to Odd's room and barged in, only to stop in his tracks. Yumi rushed up behind him, but she too then stopped as she took a sharp intake of breath.

Sitting on the floor, was Odd, his face flushed and tired looking. His eyes having dark circles underneath. He looked miserable. But then, noticing his friends in the doorway and their worried faces, he attempted an encouraging smile.

But in the next second, he started coughing again. Blood splattered out of his mouth and nose, getting all over his face as he continued his coughing fit.

Yumi gasped and gripped Ulrich's hand tightly as they watched in horror. Yumi could feel Ulrich shaking as his eyes were staring widely at what he was seeing. He'd seen these before with Odd, but none this bad.

"Lets get him out of here..." One of the EMT's said as he leaned down in front of Odd.

He lifted him up from under his knees as another lifted him up under his arms. He was too weak to even stand. The EMT's gently laid him on the stretcher and he looked around at them, blood in thick rivers down his face and on his lips. They wheeled him out as he stared around in visible fear.

* * *

Once at the hospital, everyone was quiet as they sat in the waiting room. No one could think of anything to say. Aelita, Jeremy, Yumi, Ulrich, the Dellarobia family and the Stern family all sat together. All of those people, and yet no one said anything.

Doctor Falkner then came into the room and stood in front of them. "So what's the verdict doctor?" Mr. Dellarobia asked.

He sighed as he then began telling the friends and family the news. "Odd's leukemia is back. We've looked at his leukemic cells, they're at twenty-three percent. We could do chemo, but it may be...to far along."

It was quiet for a moment until Ulrich spoke up. "So, what do you need? Bone marrow?"

Then, Dr. Falkner looked at them even more sadly. "Leukemia isn't the biggest problem he has right now."

Ulrich and the other weren't expecting this as they got confused looks on their faces. "What...what do you mean?" Mrs. Dellarobia asked.

"He's lost the function of his kidneys."

At this, Mrs. Dellarobia spoke up. "Well...how much longer until they stop completely?"

"They've already quit...their gone."

Ulrich stared bewildered at this news as his mother put an arm around him. Wondering what was to come of Odd and her own son.

* * *

Ulrich sat with his best friend while the adults sat outside talking with the doctor. Aelita, Jeremy, and Yumi had gone home after sitting with Odd for an hour or so. It was now eleven oclock at night and their parents had picked them up.

The brunette sat with his friend who had tubes in his nose and dark circles under his eyes. His hospital gown being a greenish-teal color. They were talking like they normally did, despite Odd's current condition. He spoke tiredly, his voice quiet.

"So...kidney, huh?" Odd asked tiredly.

Ulrich sighed and shrugged. "Yeah."

Odd looked down and gave a small laugh. "My mom's going to keep doing this. Keep letting them chop me up until I'm a vegetable."

Ulrich took a shaky, confident breath in. "You'll be alright." Ulrich encouraged him.

But Odd then looked up, his eyes glassy and a small smile on his face. He looked into Ulrich's eyes and shook his head slowly.


	3. Flashback

"**You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." –Unknown**

"**Be happy for this moment…this moment is your life." –Unknown**

**I just made up Odd's dad's name btw.**

…

**Holding On To You**

**Chapter 3**

_Five Years Ago, Odd: Eleven Years Old_

"_This is the tenth time this month." Mrs. Dellarobia said to her husband at the breakfast table. "I mean…I don't know what to do. Is it a problem or just some thing his body's going through, or-"_

"_I don't know hun. We could see what happens within the next week and if nothing changes then we can get him checked out."Mr. Dellarobia said._

"_Yeah, I'm just a little concerned about it. I mean, he's never had night sweats before and there so…bad." _

"_Yeah well, maybe it's just something his body's going through. Like I said, lets give it a week or so and see what happens."_

_Mrs. Dellarobia nodded and their attention then went to their son slumping into the kitchen in his pajamas. Eyes tired and drooped as he sat by his mom and yawned._

"_Hey sweety pie." She said as she rubbed his back. "Good morning."_

"'_Morning." He answered sleepily._

"_Want some-" Mrs. Dellarobia started to say but she stopped and got a puzzled look on her face as she saw something strange on her son's back._

_Lifting his white shirt up and over his shoulders, Odd got a surprised look on his face as he moved over a bit so the shirt was pulled out of her grasp. "What are you doing?"_

"_Odd, let me see something." She said as she stood up._

_Hearing the concern in her voice, he let her lift up his shirt and look at his back and her eyes grew wide. "George, come here." _

"_What is it?" he asked as he stood up and came over to where his wife was standing. "What the- what is that?"_

"_I don't know. Let me go schedule an appointment." Mrs. Dellarobia said as she quickly walked over to the phone._

"_What's wrong? What is it?" Odd asked as he looked at his dad, curious as to why his parents were acting like this._

…

"_Mono?" Mrs. Dellarobia asked the doctor. _

_The room smelt like soap and cleaner. Just how the doctor normally smelt. It didn't smell bad, Odd figured it was a good thing that the doctor smelt clean._

_Dr. Falkner was looking at Odd's back as he sat with his shirt off and on the bed with paper layed out across it. The large, blotchy, purplish, bluish, blackish bruise was large and spread across some parts of his back. He then went to feel the swollen lymph nodes on Odd's arms and neck._

_Dr. Falkner was in his mid thirties with thick, black, square glasses. He had black hair and a kind nature to him. And he'd been Odd's doctor since he was born._

"_Mono? I haven't been kissing anyone!" Odd said._

"_You don't have to kiss to get mono." Dr. Falkner chuckled. "They just call it the kissing disease. But it's just when you swap saliva with someone that has mono. And it could be a virus. We'll just have to draw some blood and run a few tests." He said as Odd put his shirt back on._

_Dr. Falkner gave him a pat on the shoulder and a comforting smile._

…

"_Odd's white blood cell count is a lot lower than normal." Dr. Falkner said once he had met with the Dellarobia's again. But this time Odd's dad was there and Odd wasen't. He had apparently gone to a friend's house._

_The doctor looked at the two parents from behind his desk as he sat in his spinny chair._

"_Okay…so, what do we do about it?" Mrs. Dellarobia asked._

"_Well, depends on whether theres something wrong or it's a lab error." He answered. "But let me give you this so you know where to go…"_

_He took a card out of his desk and handed it to Mr. Dellarobia who took it. Looking at it and reading it over, he looked slightly confused, along with Mrs. Dellarobia who was reading it also from the chair beside her husband._

"_Oncology?" she questioned. She then looked up at Dr. Falkner. "But that's cancer…"_

"_Like I said." He replied. "Could be a lab error… or something's wrong."_

…

_At the area of the hospital that they were told to go to, Odd, his father and his mom all sat in chairs with their backs to large windows. The outside was sunny and warm, and people were outside on the street and in parks enjoying their day._

_They then heard someone walking down the hallway and they all three looked up to see one of the nurses walking toward them. They watched her sit down beside Mrs. Dellarobia as as then prepared to tell them the news._

"_I took a look at the problem, and your white blood cell count is very low. You're also presenting with twelve percent_ _promyelocytes and five percent blasts." The nurse noticed their confused faces and wasen't surprised. How could she expect an eleven year old to understand this, especially if his parents didn't. She took a breath and continued. "And that indicates leukemic syndromes."_

_There was a pause as they processed the information. Odd's eyes got wide at the word and his face looked worried along with his parents._

"_Leukemic?" his father asked._

_The doctor nodded solemnly. "Cancer."_

_Mrs. Dellarobia put a hand to her mouth and looked on the verge of tears as Mr. Dellarobia put a hand on his son's shoulder._

"_I'll need a bone marrow aspiration to confirm it, but it does appear that you could have acute promyelocytic leukemia."_

_Odd's face clouded over with fear at these words as his whole world seemed to come crashing down. He could barely feel his father squeezing his shoulder even tighter as he heard the nurse say, "I'm really sorry."_

…

**Short chapter I know…**


	4. Donor?

It's been awhile since I've uploaded this I know. But here's chapter 4.

...

**Holding On To You**

**Chapter 4**

Present time

The door to the hospital room opened, catching Odd's attention away from Ulrich and Jeremy. He grinned at the two girls that walked into the room. "Hey."

"Hello!" Aelita greeted. She was carrying a shopping bag and pulled a chair over to the side of his bed as Yumi came up behind her also pulling up a chair. "Yumi and I went on a quick little shopping spree and bought some stuff…" she pulled some bags of different varieties of candy out of the one she was holding.

Odd couldn't help but laugh as Aelita placed the Gummi Worms and Jelly Beans on the bed.

"We know how Gummi Worms are your favorite." Yumi said as she shook one of the bags playfully.

"You are right about that." He agreed with her.

They sat and talked and laughed with each other while eating their variety of food for a little while before Mrs. Stern walked into the room. She had been talking with the doctor and he was sitting in the waiting room now with Odd's parents. "Um, Ulrich?" she said and Ulrich looked over at her. "Can you come out here please?"

"Yeah, sure." He said as he stood up from his chair and walked with his mom out the door.

Odd watched him through the windows as he sat down in one of the chairs. Doctor Falkner started speaking with him and he had a feeling he knew what they were talking about. Yumi joked about something to Odd and he smiled at her but still couldn't help a glance out the window at Ulrich again.

"We need your decision." Doctor Falkner said. "If you want to donate your kidney that's fine. Or we could find another doner."

"Well, how long would it take to find another donor?" Ulrich asked.

The doctor hesitated first and then said, "We don't know. It could be too late by the time we even find one."

Mrs. DellaRobia was eyeing Ulrich down as he stared at the floor. "What would happen after the operation? Or…what if the operation doesn't work?" he asked. "What if something goes wrong?"

"After the operation you won't be able to play sports. And some things you'll have to be careful with." He said, carefulness in his voice.

"I don't want to be careful. I want to keep playing soccer." Ulrich said, his voice slightly shaky.

Mrs. DellaRobia scoffed. "Are you kidding me?" she asked.

"Mrs.-" the doctor started but she shushed him with her finger. "No, no!" she snapped and she then glared at Ulrich. "You'd rather play sports then save your best friends life?"

"Well I-"

"Answer me!"

"Don't you talk to my son like that!" Ulrich's mom shouted at her.

"Your son is being selfish!" Odd's mom leaped up off the couch.

Yumi, Aelita and Jeremy could hear the shouting but they tried continuing on with the conversation in Odd's room. But he was looking out at the argument taking place in the waiting area.

"Why are you trying to force me to do this when I don't want to!" Ulrich shouted at Mrs. DellaRobia.

"I've never tried to force you to do anything!" she shouted back.

"Well what are you doing now?"

"Alright, enough, enough!" Doctor Falkner stood up and put his hands on their shoulders. "That's enough."

"I don't want to be careful. I want to keep playing soccer and do things that normal teenagers do." Ulrich said in a low voice to the doctor as he looked at him.

"It's your choice to make." He said to him.

"I think you should think about all that you and Odd have done together though." Mrs. DellaRobia said in a low and angry voice. "And how selfish you'd be if you didn't donate."

"JUST BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DONATE DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T CARE!" Ulrich shouted as he then ran out of the waiting room.

His mom attempted to run after him, but Doctor Falkner stopped her. "We still have matters to discuss and perhaps it's better to have Ulrich cool off before we talk about it with him again." Mrs. Stern nodded and they all three sat down again. Odd watched as his best friend dashed out of the room and he sat up straighter in his bed. He swished the blanket off of him and swung his legs off the bed.

"What-what are you-" Jeremy put his hands on Odd's arms, attempting to stop him.

"Going to talk to Ulrich." He said. "Can you hand me those?" he gestured to his clothes that were folded on the window sill beside Aelita.

"Um…yeah sure." She grabbed the clothes and handed them to him and he slipped his jeans on under his hospital gown

"What are you doing Odd?" Yumi asked as she stood up and attempted to stop him from leaving the room.

"Well I don't want to go out pants less do I?" he asked with a smirk and he opened the door and walked out. His three friends watching him as he walked away.

Ulrich sat outside the hospital under a large tree, the wind blew his hair across his forehead as he stared out in front of him. His knees were up to his chest as he pondered on what he should do. He couldn't believe that Mrs. DellaRobia got angry with him, and yet he could.

He heard footsteps behind him but he didn't turn around, thinking it was the doctor. But the person then sat next to him on the grass with carefulness. Ulrich looked over and his eyes widened slightly. "Odd! What are you doing out of bed?" He said urgently as he turned his body toward his friend who was leaning against the tree trunk.

"To see how you are." He answered.

"You heard that huh?" he asked as he too leaned against the tree.

Odd gave a small laugh. "The whole building heard you." But the then got serious as he looked at Ulrich's sad face. "Ulrich, don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"You don't understand..." he said in a low voice.

"I don't?"

"No, not like that." He said. "It's just…I'm sorry."

"No, no…" he whispered as he put an arm around Ulrich's shoulders. "Don't be."

**…**

Suuuuper short. But I might update again tonight!


	5. Bringa

**Holding On To You**

**Chapter 5**

**…**

It had been three days since Odd had been admitted into the hospital, and Ulrich still wasn't agreeing to giving up his kidney. And Mrs. DellaRobia could hardly even look at him without a glare. But she wasn't the only one, Ulrich couldn't even look at her either. And it was difficult considering that she spent most of her time in Odd's hospital room. He felt ashamed for his decision, but he also didn't want to back down. His mother supported him with whichever decision he chose. Ulrich knew the risks that would come with him giving up his kidney, and he knew the risks if he didn't. He was seeing the risks now, watching the toll it took on Odd.

He was getting weaker by the day, everyone could see that no matter how much they tried to act normal. He was getting bags under his eyes and his voice seemed weaker than usual.

Yumi, Jeremy and Aelita wouldn't tell Ulrich the decision they thought he should make. They figured it was between Odd and him, so neither one of them knew what they wanted him to do.

It was a Saturday night, slightly overcast and the wind was blowing. Yumi walked down the street with her oversized gray jacket and shorts. Ulrich watched her for a little bit, how her hair blew in the wind and her soft skin was in her shorts pockets. But this didn't last for long as she turned to him, "What are you staring at?"

"N-nothing, nothing." He said, looking in front of him.

But Yumi continued staring at him and she bit her lip, wondering whether to take the conversation to the topic she'd been wanting to talk about. "So what are you choosing?"

"Hm?"

"About being the donor."

Ulrich put his hands in his pockets and didn't answer. But Yumi continued watching him so he sighed. "I'm not being the kidney donor."

"Okay." Yumi said and looked ahead again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ulrich looked at her.

"Nothing, just okay." Yumi shrugged. "Lets go and sit on that bench."

They did so, but Ulrich still wasn't convinced that Yumi's 'okay' had something behind it. "You think I'm making the wrong choice don't you?"

"I didn't say that Ulrich."

"But I can hear it in your voice." He said. "You want me to donate my kidney to Odd. You don't have to try and hide it."

"Maybe, maybe not." Yumi said. "I guess I'm just used to you being the donor that's all."

"Yeah." Ulrich laughed. "So is Odd's mom."

"Well can you blame her?" she said, turning to him sharply. "I mean, she's worried about Odd already and now she has to worry about whether he'll get a donor in time before-"

"Don't go there Yumi." Ulrich snapped and she stopped talking immediately.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Yumi spoke up again, "I'm sorry."

She then put her head on his shoulder and Ulrich's eyes widened a bit before relaxing. This was taking a toll on her as well, she was wondering what was going to come of all of this too. Ulrich put his hand gently on hers and she didn't pull away. Instead she gently grasped his.

And it was a little later that Ulrich really processed the information that him and Yumi were holding hands.

**…**

_Three Years Ago_

_The blonde fourteen-year-old girl walked down the hall, trying to find where she was supposed to be. She was in the hospital trying to find the room where her little sister was, she'd just gotten her tonsils taken out and she couldn't find the room that she was in. She didn't even remember the floor level she was supposed to be on._

_Sighing in frustration she leaned against the wall and went to take out her phone to call her mom. But she then dropped it and it bounced across the floor, pieces broke on it as it scattered throughout the floor. "Oh man!" she said as she bent down to pick them up. When her hand got to the battery, someone else's hand beat her to it._

_Looking up and blowing hair out of her eyes, she saw a boy with a bandana on his head that looked to be her age. "Hey." He said with a smile._

_She stood up and took the battery that he was holding out to her. "Hey." She greeted back as she went to try and put her phone back together. "Thanks for picking up my battery."_

_"No problem." He said, but the girl growled in frustration. _

_"The battery doesn't work anymore."_

_"I'd let you use mine but I left it back in the ward I was in." he said. "But if you need directions I can-"_

_"Oh, can you show me where to go?" she asked, happy that she would finally be able to figure out where to go._

_"Sure!" he said. "Where is it you're needing to go?"_

_"Umm, somewhere where they take tonsils out?" she said and he smiled at her. "Alright, I think I know where you need to go then."_

_Using the elevator to go up to one of the floors, he asked what her name was. "Bringa." She said. "What's yours?"_

_"Odd." He answered and she nodded._

_"So are you a patient?" Odd asked._

_"Oh, no." Bringa answered. "My little sister had her tonsils taken out. Are you a patient?"_

_He nodded and she asked, "What ward were you in?"_

_"Cancer ward." He answered._

_Bringa stared at him for a moment and then noticed how he had no eyebrows or any hair that she could see anywhere. "Oh…I'm sorry."_

_"S'not your fault." He waved his hand and the elevator door dinged open. _

_They got to her sister's door and she stood outside for a moment. "Well…thanks for showing me the way here." She said._

_"No problem." He grinned at her and then started to walk off down the hallway._

_"Wait!"_

_"Hold on!"_

_They both turned toward each other and spoke at the same time. "You first." Odd said._

_"I-I was just wondering if you'd want to hang out sometime." Bringa said._

_"Really? Well, I was just about to say the same to you." _

_There was a few seconds of pause until Bringa spoke up, "So…is it a date?"_

_Odd was caught off guard for a moment until he nodded. "Um, yeah, yeah. Sure." _

_Bringa grinned. "Okay, see you Friday?"_

_"Sounds great." Odd grinned back and he watched Bringa walk into the hospital room._

**…**

Present Time

Odd sat in his bed looking at something that Aelita had brought him. She said that she'd been working on it over the past year and she was finally finished. He brushed his fingertips gently across the page where Bringa's face was. In the photo he was looking at, him and Bringa were hugging at each other as they looked at each other. They were both smiling.

_Three Years Ago_

_"You have scars on your hands." He remembered her telling him when they held hands the first time. _

_"Is it weird?" he had asked but she'd just smiled and shook her head and said, "No"' She then lifted up her own hand and Odd looked at it. "What's that from?" he had asked, looking at the long scar that ran across her palm._

_She had smiled and said, "Just a piece of glass I cut myself on a long time ago. What are yours from?"_

_"Graft versus host." He had answered and she nodded, she had been doing research on his type of cancer ever since she'd met him._

_They then switched sides so he could hold her hand that had her scar. Bringa had smiled again and he asked, "What?"_

_"It's kind of like we match." Odd had just stared at her after that comment and then smiled at her as well._

Present Time

A knock on the door brought Odd's head up to see Aelita walk in. "Hey!" she said.

"Hey." Odd greeted as he closed the book.

But Aelita had seen what page he was looking at before he closed it. "Do you miss her?" she asked.

Odd looked at her with an expression that showed he knew what she was talking about. "What?"

"Bringa. Do you miss her?" Aelita asked.

Odd didn't speak for a moment but then answered, "Yeah. I suppose I do." He then reached over and started to put the book on the side table but Aelita took it for him and opened it on his bed. She then chuckled a bit. "What?" Odd asked.

"This day." Aelita said and Odd looked over at what she was looking at. "When we had that watermelon eating contest at that fair. Remember? How old were we, like, ten?"

"Yeah." Odd laughed. "I think I won."

"I think you did too!" Aelita laughed and Odd grinned at her.

The door opened and Odd's mom, along with Yumi, Jeremy, Ulrich, Mrs. Stern, Mr. Stern, Mr. DellaRobia and Odd's sisters came in. "Hey!" they all greeted.

Mrs. Stern came by and pecked Odd on the cheek. "Hey sweetheart." She smiled at him and he greeted her back.

It was about ten minutes in which Amelie was leaning on Odd's bed and telling him a story of what happened when she was at school that day. Yumi, Ulrich, Mr. Stern, Cicille and Mr. DellaRobia were playing cards. Aelita and Jeremy were studying for their final exams while Camille listened to Amelie's story as well. Mrs. DellaRobia was sitting next to Odd talking to Mrs. Stern. The two friends had tension between them because of Mrs. DellaRobia's behavior, but Mrs. Stern had somewhat of an understanding of why she was acting this way.

The door opened and everyone paused in their activities for a moment to see who it was. It was Dr. Falkner, he waved a hand at them and they smiled. Returning to their activities, he went over to Odd and he ruffled Amelie's blonde hair.

"What's your pain from one to ten, Odd?" he asked.

"Six." He answered and Dr. Faulkner nodded. He then turned to Mrs. DellaRobia and then to Mr. DellaRobia. He pulled them aside and out into the hall. Everyone noticed this, but tried to pretend like everything was normal.

"He's doing pretty good today huh?" Mrs. DellaRobia said.

"These moments are going to get briefer and further apart Mr. and Mrs. DellaRobia. Odd's almost in system failure now, his body defenses are near 0. I'm sorry George and Lisa, this is it. We're at the end."

Mrs. DellaRobia put a hand to her mouth as she felt her husband put his hand on her shoulder. He looked down at the floor and then back up at Doctor Faulkner, tears in his eyes. "What if he gets a kidney?"

"Depends on how soon that is." He answered and Mr. DellaRobia nodded.

Walking back into the room, Odd's parents tried to act normal. Mr. DellaRobia went back to his card game, but still shared glances back at his son. Mrs. DellaRobia went back to her spot by Odd.

"Doctor Faulkner?" Odd said, getting the man's attention.

"Hm?" he walked over to his bedside and Odd looked up at him, eyes glistening but trying his best to keep a smile on his face so as not to worry his sisters.

"No good huh?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"No." Dr. Faulkner shook his head sympathetically.

"How long?"

"It's hard to say." He shrugged and saw how Odd's face fell with the next few words. "But if nothing changes, not too long."

"Not too long what?" Amelie asked.

"Nothing…" Odd said as he put his hand around her shoulders and brought her closer so he could give her a loving kiss on the head.

Ulrich could tell by the way Mrs. Stern wiped tears away from the corner of her eyes with her thumb that it was not nothing. He felt Yumi grasp his hand in a way that must be a way of comfort for him. And probably for her as well.

Aelita and Jeremy had looked away from their studying but then continued, trying to act as if nothing happened. Though Aelita continued blinking back tears as her and Jeremy's study session went on. She felt his hand on hers and she grasped it tightly.


End file.
